1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to bowling alleys and more particularly to a simplified bowling game apparatus requiring a minimum of moving parts.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Many bowling game devices have been provided in which the alley is automatically cleared of deadwood after a player has attempted a roll at the pins. Normally, the pin spotter, after a first ball is thrown, will pick up the remaining standing pins so that the alley can be cleared of the pins which have been successfully knocked down. The pins which were not knocked down on the first roll are replaced on the alley for a second attempt by the player of the game. After the second attempt, all of the pins are cleared from the alley and the new pins are respotted for the next player.
Often, all of the functions which are normally provided by the pin spotter are not necessary during the play of the game. For example, when a novice is first learning to play the game, the ball may end up in the gutter without contacting or knocking over any of the pins. Therefore, it will not be necessary to lift the pins and clear the alley, but this operation will be performed by the automatic mechanism once it detects the presence of a ball in the pit. Similarly, if all of the fallen pins are driven to the pit by the ball, it will not be necessary to clear the alley but the conventional bowling machines automatically go through this process because there is no means for them to distinguish the fact that no fallen pins remain on the alley.